Design of a Prototype Machine to Automate Satellite Wire Harness Assembly

Wire harness construction is a frequent source of delays in the satellite assembly process, due to a high rate of human error in the harness assembly process. While automated assembly could reduce the error rate and increase production efficiency, manipulation of wires with established robotic assembly methods is difficult because of their flexibility. This project introduces a novel machine to automate wire harness assembly by adopting a design similar to that of existing cartesian 3D printers, circumventing problems faced by established automation methods. The machine can rout wire onto a flat wire harness template and can cut and process up to eight different types of wire simultaneously, all without human interaction. This report details the conceptualization and design of such a machine, as well as the current assembly and validation status of the existing prototype. Although the prototype is incomplete at the closing of the 2020 MDP project cycle, it is concluded that the team’s current approach shows promise in successfully automating wire harness assembly and should be explored and refined further in future efforts.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/169574/1/Honors_Capstone_Wire_Harness_Automation_yuankail.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/169574/2/Honors_Capstone_NGWire_presentation_yuankail.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/169574/3/yuankail_capstone_video.mp